Cassandra Johnson Gaither, Natural Resource Sociologist
Ph.D., University of Georgia
USDA Forest Service
A natural resource sociologist looks at humans and their relationship to the natural world.
Curiosity
Creativity
Asking questions about social groups and their view of the natural world
Why do some social groups rarely visit national forests even though they live close to them? What beliefs do recent immigrant groups have about nature?
I found that socially vulnerable populations in the South that also live in high wildfire risk communities are less likely than more affluent communities in high wildfire risk areas to have programs that help reduce the severity of wildfires.
I’m not sure. It sort of evolved over time. I came to the realization after working with the Forest Service several years that the great outdoors and nature seemed to have different meanings for different people. I wanted to better understand these various interpretations of nature.
